In the current Neat Living Poll at the Neat Living Blog, the number 1 item that people say goes missing is keys! Keys are one of the most annoying things to not be able to find! It wastes so much time and energy and creates unnecessary stress. Not being able to find your keys can even make you late for work or important appointments! The good news is that losing keys is actually one of the easiest organizing problems to solve.

One way is to create a landing and launching space near your most frequently used entry / exit door. In that space you can place a key hook, a decorative box or a basket without a lid to hold your keys. If you are like most people who like to just drop things, the basket is the one that is most likely to really get used. Many people won't do the extra step it takes to open a box or hang it on a hook.

Make sure to place a key holder container for each person to place their set of keys. An added bonus to using a basket is that you can also place other things there as well, for example, mail till you are ready to sort it. Men can also use it to place their favorite baseball cap, wallet, change, and other things from their pockets.

For ladies, it's also critical to give your keys a home in your purse. Always put them in the same place and you'll never have to hunt for them again. If you don't have a pocket in your purse for your keys, find a small container, maybe a plastic cup, or a small box or anything that you can put in your purse so that you always drop your keys in it. I have a empty tissue box that I cut down in my purse where I keep my wallet, business card holder and a small pad of paper for notes. It works great!

The real trick to being able to find your keys is to change your habits. To help you make the change, you may need to set up a reminder system. Perhaps by placing a big sign that you will see when you enter the house. It could say something like:

"Did you put your keys where they belong''"

You can take the sign down once you start automatically putting your keys where they belong. Once you get the hang of it, you'll reduce your stress, save time and it will go a long way to make you feel more in control of your life and your stuff!

2006 Ariane Benefit, Neat Living All rights reserved.

Ariane Benefit

Ariane Benefit is a professional organizer, speaker, and author of the popular Neat Living Blog which provides free organizing tips, home makeover photos and much more.

Her mission is to inspire people to simplify, clear clutter, and get organizes so they can get things done easily, and have more time to enjoy the things they really love!!

Contact me at 973-429-2100 or abenefit@neatliving.org. Article or book writing requests are welcome! I am also available to provide content expertise to other writers.

Background: Having grown up in an extremely cluttered home and having moved frequently, I learned first hand how to overcome the need to keep everything. Being the first and only person in my family to go to college, I also learned early on how important it is to organize yourself to achieve your dreams and goals.

I am especially empathetic to creative people, people in crisis, people with ADD/ADHD, young people, students, packrats, sentimental collectors, people moving, merging households, and anyone who needs to downsize.

I have a Master's Degree in Education with a minor in Business and a Bachelor's Degree in Spanish from the University of Miami in Florida. With over 20 years experience in corporate performance consulting, I am also certified in Process Facilitation, Management Development Training, and Accelerated Learning Methods.

My personal and professional qualifications uniquely enable me to help people not only get organized, but acquire new skills and habits so they can STAY organized.

I am an active member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (where I am currently pursing the newly established Certified Professional Organizer designation), the American Holistic Health Association, and the International Society for Performance Improvement.